Jul 16, 2026
Today my guest is M.R. Madhavan, co-founder and president of PRS Legislative Research.
We talked about the role and purpose of the Rajya Sabha, treatment of money bills in a Westminster system, how the anti-defection law and party whips have hollowed out parliamentary function, parliamentary procedure, the role of the governor, and much more.
Recorded June 24th, 2026.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.
Connect with Ideas of India
Follow Shruti on X
Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:33) - The Role and Purpose of
the Rajya Sabha
(00:14:46) - Money Bills,
No-Confidence Motions, and Design Flaws
(00:22:47) - GST and Constitutional
Design
(00:30:33) - One Country, One Tax
System?
(00:35:31) - The Problem with
Anti-Defection Laws and Whips
(00:43:55) - Who Will Bell the
Cat?
(00:50:53) - Parliamentary
Pressures: Constitutional vs. Constituent Expectations
(01:02:04) - Challenges Faced by
State Legislatures
(01:15:37) - Reforming the Office of
Governor
(01:27:18) - The Role of PRS in
Parliamentary Functioning
(01:35:13) - Outro